The Way it Feels
by Akuma-Chibi
Summary: She was determined, she'd show the boy next door, just what it felt like to be loved and not feared or used.
1. Chapter 1

**The Way It Feels**

**Summary: She was determined, she'd show the boy next door, just what it felt like to be loved and not feared or used. **

**Anime/Manga: InuYasha/Prince of Tennis**

**Pairing: Kagome/Akaya**

**Genre: Romance/Humor**

**Rated: M for Mature Content**

**-x-x-x-**

'_...it's so loud...' _Lithe fingers pushed open the door to her front yard. Her next-door neighbor, he was always loud, but never like this. Usually he was at least quiet at night. Eyeing the house next to hers, it was alit from inside, the windows supplying light that broke through the darkness outside. Her mother and brother were out of town, and so she was left alone Saturday. Not that she had a problem with that. However―

"_**AUGH~!"**_

A loud crash caused her to jump, taking a step away from her front door, she shook her head fiercely. "Come on Kagome, he could be getting mauled to death by bobcats...or something." Her nerves were wracked. Sighing, the young girl left the sanctuary of her doorway and quietly made her way to the house to the right of hers. _"Mauled by bobcats...tch..."_ stopping in front of the house, she could still clearly hear things breaking. His yelling and cursing had only grown louder as she moved in closer to the door. _"Knock..."_ she urged herself. _"Come on..." _Another loud had her shaking, _"just...KNOCK!"_

_**~Thump!-Thump!-Thump!~**_

Hey eyes widened as she looked down at her hands. _"...I did it. Why...why did I knock?"_

**-x-x-x-**

Kirihara, Akaya―age thirteen, weighing sixty-one kilos and standing at one hundred and sixty-eight centimeters. He had wild and untamable black hair and bottle glass green eyes. With a childishly friendly look, no one would ever expect the cruel demon he turned into on the court, or what demons haunted him while alone at home.

"_So loud..."_ Akaya cursed, "they're so damn loud!"

_**~Thump!-Thump!-Thump!~**_

His head snapped up, looking towards the door, his body was completely stiff. "Am I hearing things? Was that just in my head...?" He stood up and made his way towards the door, stepping around shards of broken glass and shattered furniture. Looking back at the mess he'd caused, hesitating, not sure if he should open the door or not. Finally resigning himself, he placed his hand on the door, turned the knob and pulled it open to reveal...no one?

**-x-x-x-**

Kagome stopped in her trek back to her house. She had started heading back home when the door showed no signs of opening. Having heard no sounds coming from the other side of the door, she figured he wanted to be left alone. However, at the sudden sound of the door opening, she quickly rushed back as the door was about to close. "W-wait!"

It stopped.

'_Now what?' _Her eyes fell on the boy who looked to be around her age. He seemed to be just as confused as she was, but certainly for different reasons.

**-x-x-x-**

Akaya stepped back as a girl appeared in his doorway. "...did you need something?" The girl in front of him was nothing short of beautiful. Her black hair was tied back, so he couldn't get a good read on it's length, but her eyes were like sparkling clear water. A stunning cobalt blue that was lit by the light of the moon. When the girl failed to speak, he tried again. "It's late, almost eleven. What is it you wanted?"

The girl's eyes darted to his left and lingered on the mess he made before moving back to his own eyes. "I-I'm sorry for knocking...so late."

"Hm?"

She was blushing, playing with her fingers. A nervous quirk, he could tell. He had quite a few of those himself.

"I mean...so late at night! I was...I heard..." she was shaking now.

"Are you afraid of me?" Akaya asked with a humored grin spreading across his face.

"No, not―not afraid! I was..._worried_."

His eyes widened, _'worried?!'_ Shaking his head, he leaned against the door. "What school do you go to?" He asked, _'she's got to be part of the tennis fan club or something.'_

"I commute; I attend Saint Mary's Private Girls Academy."

"...Saint Mary's..." he broke into a fit of laughter. "What, are you some kind of _nun-in-training_?"

A small frown formed on her lips, "...is that bad?"

He stopped laughing, "it's ironic."

"Ironic?"

"Sure," he leaned forward, "for such a cute angel to have flown so close to a devil's den...don't you agree that it's a bit ironic?"

"..." she looked nervously at the boy; his words echoed in her head for a few seconds. "Even if you say that..." her eyes fell to the ground before widening. _"Your hurt..."_

He raised a brow, having still been leaning forward when she whispered those words, he'd heard them clearly. "Kind of presumptuous, don't you think?"

"No! I mean, you're really hurt!" She dropped to her knees and looked over his blood covered hand. "What did you do?!"

Akaya shrugged as he straightened and watched her fret over his hand. "I wasn't paying attention at the time." He watched her give the shirt she was wearing a sharp tug; his eyes widened when she ripped it. "H-hey!" She ignored him and continued what she was doing. Sighing, he crouched down, placing his other arm on his knees as he rested his head on his uninjured hand. Tilting his head on his hand, a sudden thought occurred to him. "Hey..."

She didn't look up but responded with a soft _'hmm'_.

"Who are you?"

**-x-x-x-**

Kagome glanced up and away from the now blood ridden wound. "Who...? Oh, I never introduced myself! Higurashi, Kagome, that's my name." She pointed next door, "I'm your neighbor..."

"Neighbor?"

She nodded, "I've been your neighbor for six years...you never noticed?"

Another shrug, "It's not important to me." He pulled his hand out of hers. He eyed the cotton shirt wrappings around his knuckles. It was cleanly done, surprisingly.

"What, if you don't mind me asking, is your name?"

"Kirihara, Akaya."

"...may I call you Akaya-San?"

He turned away, "do what you want, it doesn't matter to me."

Kagome frowned but that lasted a short second before a small smile found her lips once more, "Akaya-San, let's be friends. From tonight onward..."

He could only stare after her as she ran back to her home, yelling back to him a quick 'goodnight' before disappearing inside her own home. _'...friends...what kind of a notion is that.'_

**-x-x-x-**

**Me: Here is the first chapter of The Way It Feels. I needed to start something that was still in the PoT genre and this one had a few chapters already written in my journal, so I decided to go ahead and move forward with this one. Merry Christmas and I hope you all enjoy!**


	2. Chapter 2

**The Way It Feels**

**Summary: She was determined, she'd show the boy next door, just what it felt like to be loved and not feared or used. **

**Anime/Manga: InuYasha/Prince of Tennis**

**Pairing: Kagome/Akaya**

**Genre: Romance/Humor**

**Rated: M for Mature Content**

**-x-x-x-**

"_**In the morning when I rise...in the morning when I rise...give me Jesus~" **_Kagome was barely listening, only vaguely paying attention as she and the rest of the Girls Choir sand. She was too distracted, she couldn't concentrate. _**"You may have all this world...**__just__** give me Jesus~"**_

"Not _just_ Higurashi-San. It's _"all this world...give me Jesus"_ other than that, good job girls! We will continue tomorrow, before you leave, however." Their teacher pointed to the blackboard. "The play for the school festival is on the board. Everyone needs to draw a slip from that hat, that will be your role. Either working stage, costumes, props or cast, you are required to participate, and **no** exchanging slips! I'm looking at you, Nanako-San."

"Hehe, we haven't even drawn yet, Sister."

"Yes, well. I know my students." She ushered everyone over and stood with a clipboard and list of her students' names. "I'll be taking down your part in the festival play as you draw, just for good measure."

"_**Hai, Sister Takayama!"**_

"Sensei really has no faith in me,"

"Absolutely none."

Kagome laughed at the back and forth between her childhood best friend and their homeroom teacher. "Yura doesn't like to be on stage."

Nanako, Yura; seductive in her beauty, she always looked out of place at the school. Not that anyone dared say such a thing to the haughty and outspoken girl. With a perfectly cut bob that fell just along her chin and crimson red eyes, a petite figure, moon kissed complexion and delicate small hands. She was doll like in almost every way. This spurred a bit of jealousy from a number of students, but their homeroom teacher made up for it.

Takayama, Kaguya was the youngest teacher of the Academy, and favored among all the students easily. She had long black hair that she normally kept pulled back in a ponytail that fell just past her knees. Kagome was sure she'd only seen her hair free from constraints once. The woman was twenty-six and had started teaching during Kagome and Yura's first year at the Academy when they joined at eight in the Elementary Division. Yura had been especially taken with the teacher, perhaps because she wasn't close to the students besides Kagome, she got along well with the teacher.

"Isn't it weird that we are putting on a play that's made up of a mostly male cast?" Yura asked from behind her.

Shrugging, Kagome put her hand into the hat as she came up to it and pulled out a piece of paper. "...ah...this is,"

"What is it?" Yura leaned over her friends' shoulder and wrapped her arms playfully around her as she took the paper, "oh! Kagome-Chan gets to be Judge Don Claude Frollo, oh...but he sings Baritone. That's pretty low...not as low as bass, but lower than tenor. Can you sing Baritone, Kagome?"

Kagome sighed, "guess I'll find out."

"Hehe, this personality doesn't fit you."

Sister Takayama smiled and took the slip of paper from Yura as she put her hand into the hat, "I look forward to seeing Higurashi-San play such a difficult role."

"That makes one of us." Kagome sighed, shouldering her bag before leaning back against her desk.

"Nanako-San, will be playing the role of Esmeralda."

"_That's kind of fitting. She's got that kind of look, you know?"_

"_Sultry?"_

"_Slutty."_

Kagome narrowed her eyes as she turned them to the two girls behind her. Yura hadn't heard, she was laughing with the Sister about one thing or another, but the two girls quickly packed up their belongings and left the classroom. No longer interested in hearing the rest of the class's roles in the play. She scoffed before turning back, jumping out of her skin at the close proximity of Yura who now stood in front of her.

"Kagome-Chan, what was that about?"

"What was what about?" She started out of the room, bowing to the Sister as they headed to their next class.

"You were glaring pretty heatedly at those two girls. What did they do?"

"Nothing, don't worry about it."

Yura sighed, "if you say so."

"Kagome-Senpai!"

A distant voice pulled Kagome from Yura's side. Yura excused herself as she continued on. "Tsukiko-San, you shouldn't run indoors."

The girl slowed to a stop, "sorry, I was wondering if Senpai had plans after school. A bunch of us were going out for karaoke after classes got out."

"Mm, one of the conditions of staying home alone while mama and Souta are away visiting Grampa, is that I go straight home. So, I'll have to decline this time around, maybe next week?"

"...yeah, I'm sure we can go when Kagome-Senpai's mom comes back!"

Kagome smiled, "I should go, I still have bible theory."

"Ah, good luck with Sister Chie, the topic is Sexual Purity. She's very opinionated."

Kagome laughed before she said her farewell and left to her last class of the day. As soon as she entered the classroom, she saw all eyes on the board. Following their gaze, she could already tell that class would be interesting. According to the neatly scrawled writing across the board:

_**Sexual Sin**_

_**the DARK DESIRES of the DEVIL  
and how to OVERCOME them  
and remain  
PURE and GOOD**_

Or so it read.

"Come in ladies, sit down."

She turned to see Sister Chie looking at her. She had stopped in the doorway, so she must have drawn the Sister's attention.

"What's up with that? It's kind of prehistoric to think that way Sister, don't you think so?"

"Silence, Nanako-San. Let us all pray for our topic, sit and bow your heads."

This was new. They normally all prayed during lunch since all grades took their lunch at the same time, their Reverend Mother Midoriko led the prayer in person. Then the morning prayer was held over the intercom. They didn't do individual prayers in class. Still, she lowered her head and laced her fingers together as did everyone else.

"Lord, inflame our hearts and our inmost beings with the fire of _Your_ Holy Spirit. That we may serve you with chaste bodies and pure minds. Through Christ our Lord."

"_**Amen~"**_

A hand on her shoulder had her turning to see an almost demonic glimmer in Yura's eyes. She was obviously not happy with the way this class was already starting.

"_She's out of her mind if she thinks everyone in class is going to remain untouched for the rest of their lives."_

Kagome smiled; it was true. Most of the girls in the academy dreamed of falling in love, some had already started. In most cases, love led to sexual desires. Many wanted to get married one day, marriage usually leads to children, not always, but usually a family followed.

"Higurashi-San, your choir class is putting on the performance for the Sound of Music, right?"

Being spoken to, Kagome stood up before answering, "no, Sister Chie. While it had been an option, the Choir unanimously chose the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Since this is a festival open to children as well as older teens, we wanted something they'd be familiar with. We received our parts today, in fact."

She smiled at Kagome before sighing, "a child friendly play, and yet sexual sin is instilled within that very play. Even in the movie, was doused in sin."

"..." Kagome sat back down, the look in Sister Chie's eyes made her feel a bit uncertain about whether she should speak more or stay quiet. She chose the latter.

"Lust!"

Kagome jumped; she wasn't alone. The girls in class stared with their eyes slightly wider than they'd been before. The bellow of her voice had certainly surprised them.

"Mankind's truest flaw and greatest weakness is Lust. Love for anyone other than God, is but a catalyst for Lust. So, we should only give ourselves wholly to our Father in Heaven. We His children, who live in His Kingdom, with bodies and souls conceived through His Will alone, should be coveted as a Shrine in His name. A Temple for His love. Where no other may lay their hands upon such pure and untouched flesh."

"Not likely, I plan to have kids one day."

"So be it, then. They shall be conceived through sin."

The girls turned to Yura who suddenly stood, challenged by the Sister's words. "The fact that you have any students to Preach your delusional views to is because our parents found love and chose to have a monogamous relationship leading to Holy Matrimony before God. Having children that they may love and cherish them!" Yura snapped, grabbing her bag before taking Kagome by the hand. "I won't listen to your single-minded opinions that you try to force upon others. These are not God's teachings; these are your screwed-up beliefs. Kagome and I were born from love, our parents did nothing against God. This is what I know. I hope you have a Blessed Day, Sister."

Kagome had enough time to grab her bag before she was pulled from her seat and dragged out of the classroom. She tightened her hold on Yura's hand. "...are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just...miss my mom."

**-x-x-x-**

**Me: Here is chapter two. I hope you all enjoyed! Merry Christmas Guys! I know this is a lot to take in as far as updates go, but I hope you all enjoy!**


	3. Chapter 3

**The Way It Feels**

**Summary: She was determined, she'd show the boy next door, just what it felt like to be loved and not feared or used. **

**Anime/Manga: InuYasha/Prince of Tennis**

**Pairing: Kagome/Akaya**

**Genre: Romance/Humor**

**Rated: M for Mature Content**

**-x-x-x-**

Kagome looked at Yura, her head dropped forward as she spoke.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just...miss my mom."

Reaching forward, she placed her hand on Yura's shoulder. She understood the most, Yura's pain. Her mother and Kagome's father had been business partners at the Law firm they worked at. They had both been talented lawyers, and as such, they were frequently called away for out of town clients or meetings abroad.

On one such meeting, they had lost their respective parents. There had been a lot of rain that month, it was a curse across all of Japan, it seemed. That particular night, the wind had been playing against the car on top of the heavily falling rainfall. Another driver couldn't control their vehicle, they had tried to stop...desperately. Instead, it hydroplaned going fifty-five, slamming into the vehicle her father had been driving.

Yura's mother was hospitalized overseas and passed away before Yura's plane even touched the ground. Kagome's father had lived only long enough to pull Yura's mother from the vehicle. The EMS said that he'd made sure she was out of harms way, but the blood loss and internal injuries to his vital organs were too great. He died in the ambulance, not even making it to the Hospital. Neither girls, in the end, had been able to say goodbye.

"We should skip school next week, Kagome."

'_It's that time already, isn't it? Their anniversary...' _resting her head against Yura's shoulder, she felt a hand settle against her lower back, "has it really been seven years already?"

"Shocking to think about, right?" Yura pulled Kagome along with her and guided her out of the school. Leaving silently, the two both contemplating what was coming up. What the _anniversary_ meant for _them_.

Kagome's mother always kept busy during their anniversary. So busy, she'd pass out crying some time around nine or ten at night. Meanwhile, Yura's father didn't bother coming home till ten or later. Burying himself in his work, when he finally did get home, he'd just sit with a picture of his wife. Yura had told her once that her father only cried if he thought she was asleep. They were strong, and yet, still so lonely.

Then there was the matter of Kagome's brother. Her father hadn't had the chance to meet him. He'd been born eight months after his death. Her father hadn't known her mother was pregnant, neither did her mother for that matter. She had found out after being rushed to the hospital for passing out at work when called and informed of the accident and her husbands' death.

"Think we could get them to go?"

Yura tightened her hold on Kagome's hand, "think it hurts to ask?"

"Don't know, but I'm going to. Worst case scenario, the both say no and then the two of us go alone...again."

Nodding, they came to a stop at the train station, this was where they split. "Kagome, we're family, right?"

Kagome smiled, "I've always thought so."

"Then...maybe it's time for my dad and your mom to move on. I mean, don't get me wrong! I love and miss my mom, but I know she wouldn't want him to remain alone forever, she'd want him to move on, and be happy. Your dad was the same, right?"

"Yeah, from what I remember, he always said things like _'mama smiles the prettiest when she's happy...' _right now, I think he'd be doing what he could to make her smile."

"I think so too." Yura smiled and pulled away before she started off down the street, "I'll let you go home, but call me later."

Nodding, "alright, see you tomorrow, Yura." She watched her leave before settling herself on a bench outside the station. Her train didn't arrive for a while, so there was no rush. Closing her eyes, she sighed as she thought of her mother and brother. _'Family, huh.' _There was a darker truth hidden in that word. Kagome wasn't sure if Yura knew yet, but she wasn't about to break the news either. It would come out, sooner or later.

"Hey!"

Opening her eyes at the loud voice in her ear, she moved away from a guy who was sitting entirely too close to her. As she moved away, he leaned in closer. Close to the edge of the bench, she stood but was stopped by another figure standing in front of her. She vaguely recognized them. They were a group of delinquents that hung out around Saint Mary's Academy gates. They hadn't been bothering anyone, not the she was aware of, just eyeballing the students. She tried to step around the one in front of her, but the one sitting down took her wrist in a tight grip. She pulled hard, but he was clearly stronger.

"Now, now, don't be like that. We just want to talk." Another said as he walked up to stand beside her.

She was now boxed in by the three. Feeling jittery and uncomfortable, she looked desperately for a way out of the situation. "I―I'm waiting for someone."

"Are you now?" The guy staring up at her from the seat chuckled, letting the hand that was holding her wrist, drop close to her leg. A stray finger trailed the edge of her skirt and he smirked as she closed her eyes fearfully. "Heh, this isn't our first time seeing you here. See, we like to do our homework before moving onto the actual course of study. Ain't that right, boys?"

"Yeah! Yeah! We're such good students!"

"Perfect attendance! We're top of our class."

"Is that so..."

A fourth voice broke through the laughter and she nervously chanced a glance towards the source of the voice. "...n-no way..."

"Tch...did you need something with my friend here?"

Tears fell from her eyes. She felt so relieved to see him, reaching out her free hand, she closed her eyes when his reached between the two guys standing before her and pulled her into his chest and out of the others hold. "Akaya-San!"

**-x-x-x-**

**Me: Here is chapter three! I hope you all are enjoying what's written so far of this story. I haven't actually written any **_**new**_** chapters for this story; these were all in my book already. There's one more I think...then anything after that will be new. So, look forward to it!**


	4. Chapter 4

**The Way It Feels**

**Summary: She was determined, she'd show the boy next door, just what it felt like to be loved and not feared or used. **

**Anime/Manga: InuYasha/Prince of Tennis**

**Pairing: Kagome/Akaya**

**Genre: Romance/Humor**

**Rated: M for Mature Content**

**-x-x-x-**

"Thank you, Akaya-San." Kagome grinned, her eyes practically sparkling as she held her neighbors' hand tightly to her chest.

Blushing, he glanced away from her but didn't pull his hand back. "Tch, causing trouble after only knowing you for a day."

"Aah?! Don't be like that Kirihara-San! She's so cute, why not let me hold her hand for awhile?"

Kagome looked back at the boy with wild bright red hair, his smile said he was just playing, but his eyes spoke of a silent prayer. Her hand tightened around Akaya's and her neighbor sighed before pulling her closer to him.

"Not a chance, Senpai, I don't trust you at all."

"Eh?!"

"So, not to interrupt, but we were actually heading to Yukimura-Buchou. Will you be joining us?"

She didn't know who Yukimura-Buchou was, "oh, no I―"

"She's got nothing better to do, she's coming."

Scratching her head, she looked up at Akaya with a pout, "who says I have nothing better to do?"

"You do then?"

Blushing, she glanced away, "no, not really. That's still not the point. You should go around making assumptions."

"I was just thinking it'd be easier this way. I can walk you home now."

"You don't have to―"

"Those guys earlier could be―"

"At my school."

Everyone stopped walking and turned curious eyes to Kagome who Akaya was pulling along with them.

"What?"

Kagome bowed her head, feeling flustered by the eyes staring at her. "They're always in front of my school. Every morning, they watch the girls..."

"Wait, what school do you attend?" The one with silver hair asked, leaning forward to look at her uniform.

Kagome moved out of their line of sight. Hiding her body behind Akaya, taking his hand behind his back with her. She didn't want them to know about her school, so she kept her mouth shut.

Akaya laughed at her, "don't want to say it?"

She shook her head. "No! No way!"

"She attends Saint Mary's if I saw her uniform correctly."

Kagome peered from behind Akaya and glared at the boy with his eyes shut. _'How did he even see my uniform!?'_

The red heads eyes widened, "Wah!? Sugoi! Kirihara-Kun is dating a Nun!?"

"We're not dating you weirdo! What part of "I met her yesterday" did you not understand?"

"Never heard of "love at first sight"?" The boy with glasses and purple hair chuckled.

Akaya turned a glare to the other Senpai, "not likely!"

Kagome laughed, "you all must be really close."

"**..."**

No one said anything to that. She felt a small tug and they were walking again. _'I guess they don't agree?'_ She smiled, thinking about her own _friends_, only Yura was really close to her. The others were just faces in the crowd. They all started to blend together after a while. "Oh, I just realized but I didn't get anyone's name."

Akaya blushed at the slip up of courtesies. The realization that he hadn't properly introduced his Senpai's to his neighbor and..._ friend_. "Right," he pulled her in front of him and pointed as his Senpai's turned around, "starting on the left, Sanada, Genichiro-Fukubuchou, Yanagi, Renji-Senpai...this is Yagyuu, Hiroshi-Senpai, Niō, Masaharu-Senpai, and Jackal, Kawahara-Senpai! Everyone, this is my neighbor, Higurashi, Kagome-San."

"It's nice to meet you all...mn, Akaya-San, what about him?"

The red head was pointing desperately at himself, a pink bubble forming between his lips as he smiled playfully at Akaya.

"No one else is important."

"Eh?!"

Sighing, Akaya glanced at the red head, "Marui, Bunta-Senpai...don't get too close to him."

"Why? I thought Akaya-San was a Devil, surely no one could be worse for me to be close to then you."

His cheeks flushed brighter than before and he cleared his throat as he pushed her onward, "don't talk!"

**-x-x-x-**

Kagome stood looking out at the city. The others were all gathered around a guy with shoulder length wavy blue hair and pretty green eyes. Who looked beautiful at a glance, but she had seen many beautiful people who had scary personalities. Not that she was saying he did. The only reason she stood off to the side was because this was their time with their _Buchou_. She couldn't intervene with that. Besides, the city was beautiful from this height. Taking her phone out, she snapped a shot of the city with her cellphone's camera. Looking at the photo, she frowned and turned her eyes upward.

"It's going to rain,"

She jumped and turned to see Akaya and his Buchou standing behind her. It was his Buchou that had spoken. "Ah, yeah...I just noticed."

He smiled, "you and Kirihara-Kun should hurry home then. I would hate for the two of you to be stuck in the rain on my account."

Kagome frowned, "I don't mind the rain. Akaya-San can take his time. Besides, it's nice up here."

"It is, isn't it." He looked out at the city below before turning back to her, "I haven't properly introduced myself; my name is Yukimura, Seiichi. Your name is,"

"Higurashi, Kagome," she bowed, introducing herself to Akaya's Captain. She felt strange, meeting so many of his Senpai's in such a short amount of time, and after only knowing Akaya for a day now. A hand reached out to her chin and raised her so that she was looking up. She blinked in confusion.

"Higurashi-San, please look after Kirihara-Kun."

"Eh!? B-Buchou, I'm capable of looking after myself! Heck, I protected her earlier, not the other way around!"

Kagome smiled, "hai! I'll do my best!"

"Stop ignoring me, damn it!"

Kagome frowned, "you really are a devil, using such language."

He dropped his head in exasperation, his cheeks on fire with embarrassment as his Buchou teased him and his Senpai's behind them laughed on. He could only be glad that his embarrassment was only subjected to Rikkai Dai's regulars and no other schools had been around to see it. He couldn't bear the thought. "Tch, whatever." He held his hand out, though his eyes looked anywhere but her. "Let's head home then,"

"Huh?" She reached out her hand, her fingertips barely grazed his palm when he reached out and took her wrist in his hand, pulling her in close to his chest.

"you have to watch over me, right?" He smirked, "I'm a troublesome kouhai, so you'll have your hands full with me, Kagome-Senpai."

Her heart started racing, the close proximity had the heat rising to her cheeks. She didn't know what was happening, but she could hear Bunta yelling for Akaya to stop playing around, even picking up Yukimura's soft laughter. However, she couldn't bring herself to blink, her eyes locked on his green. She never knew that green eyes could burn the way that fire did, but his were.

"...A-Akaya-San..."

He let her go and walked off past his Senpai's, opening the door before glancing over his shoulder, "hurry up, Kagome-Senpai!"

Snapping out of her daze, she picked up her bag and raced after her neighbor, catching the door before it shut and yelling after him to wait up.

"_Hai, hai, hurry up!"_

**-x-x-x-**

**Me: Here is chapter 4! I love my readers so much, and so I'm going to continue writing Big Bulk Batches and updating them at the end of every month! Each BBB will be 50-100 chapters and updated on the last day of the month. Much love! Review~!**


	5. Chapter 5

**The Way It Feels**

**Summary: She was determined, she'd show the boy next door, just what it felt like to be loved and not feared or used. **

**Anime/Manga: InuYasha/Prince of Tennis**

**Pairing: Kagome/Akaya**

**Genre: Romance/Humor**

**Rated: M for Mature Content**

**-x-x-x-**

"_The world is cruel; the world is wicked; it's I alone whom you can trust in this whole city...I am your only friend."_ Kagome peered at the lyrics to the song on the paper in her hands. Lying alone at home, she wasn't ready to go to bed, even though it was almost nine at night. "I wonder if Akaya-San is still awake." As if answering her curious inquiry, a loud crash sounded from next door. With eyes wide open, she stood from the couch and ran to the front door, opening it to peer at her neighbors' home. _'Again...? He'll hurt himself.'_

_**~CRASH!~**_

Running across the yard, she didn't think when she pounded loudly on the door. "Akaya-San!" It was late; surely, people were already asleep. Still, her hand continued to fall hard against the door.

_**~BAM!~**_

'_Why isn't he answering the door?!'_ Placing her hand on the doorknob, she looked at it uncertainly before giving it a slight turn. When it gave in, she pushed the door open and peered inside. The entrance of the house was average looking. Unlike last time, it was clean; nothing was broken or shattered. Padding inside, she stepped past a pair of tennis shoes and listened to the sound of angry thumping that was coming from upstairs. Making her way up the steps, she stopped on the top of the stairway and frowned; it was quiet now. Well, mostly. There was a heavy heaving like someone was trying to catch their breath.

Walking down the hall towards the sound of short and shallow breaths, Kagome stopped in front of a door. She gave a soft push. The window was the first thing she saw. _'That was what he broke? The window?!' _Turning her eyes towards a flickering, she took in the lamp that was toppled over, the plug not fully plugged in. Fixing the light upright, she pressed the cap into the socket, and the flickering ceased. Finally, she found the source of heavy breathing. Akaya was in the corner of the room. Surrounding him on the wall behind his back were marks from where he'd been punching the wall. Indents here and there, two holes, some splotches of blood. It was a mess.

If she thought about it, the normal response would be fear. To be afraid of this person. What he might do. What he _could_ do. "Akaya-San?" She received no reply from him. He didn't move to make any show of having heard her. Stepping closer, she knelt in front of him. His arms were over his knees, which were pulled into his chest. His head was ducked down in the safety that was his arms. "Akaya-San?" She tried again—still nothing. Finally, reaching out, she placed a hand on his arm. That was a mistake.

"Heh..."

Blinking, her eyes tried to take in the slight trembling of his shoulders.

"Aren't you being... just a bit too conceited?"

'_C-conceited?'_

He lifted his head, and she found herself caught, unable to look away from dangerous red eyes. "Heh, heh," he leaned forward, licking his lips a bit before lifting a hand. It found her wrist and tightened.

"Ah...! A-Akaya-San."

"What is it?"

"Y-you're hurting me," tears swelled in her eyes just before she was pushed down onto her back. This was something she wasn't used to. Akaya had been a bit of a mystery before, and she was used to hearing him scream, yell, and destroy his home. Years of being his neighbor, and...and she'd never reached out until now. Why had he been alone this whole time? She could have helped him, right? "It's okay..." despite how his fingers gripped her wrist, she reached up with her free hand and placed it on his cheek. "I'm okay. It doesn't hurt." His eyes widened, there was a slight flicker, his eyes fighting between red and green. Finally, it settled, and emerald green found her.

"D-damn it! Damn it!" He let go and pushed away from her, burying his head in his hands.

Kagome moved to his side, ignoring the red marks on her, she wrapped her arms around him. _"Shh~ it's okay, Akaya-San."_

He could only cry in her arms. He'd only hurt her a bit, but the fact that she'd seen that part of him, that he couldn't stop it from hurting her. It was a nagging feeling that he could do worse to her.

"Akaya-San, aren't you putting too much blame on yourself?" Her voice broke through his thoughts. She felt him stiffen at her words, "aren't we all people who are able to make mistakes?"

"Some mistakes are unforgivable."

"You think so?" Kagome smiled and leaned in a bit, "there is no such thing as a mistake that can't be forgiven. You may just need to try harder to ask for forgiveness. In this case, there is nothing to forgive. I'm okay." She wasn't saying it just to make him feel better. She really was okay.

"You're so weird."

"This is normal, isn't it?"

"How is it normal?"

"The way people think is pretty simple, especially if you manage to get through to them. Things like liking someone, treasuring them, you think about how to best avoid hurting them, and how to best avoid being hurt. Feelings, emotions, once you start naming them, words are no longer enough. So, you try to show them. How do you show what you're feeling? How can you say you're sorry without words?"

"Didn't I hurt you?"

She lifted her hand out and eyed the red marks, "I mean, it's not like you meant to, right?"

Akaya shook his head, "no..." he felt exhausted, looking around at his room, he realized that he had destroyed it. His window was smashed, and there were holes scattered along his wall from punching it. "If it's you, I don't want to hurt you."

Kagome took him in. It was like he was a kitten, abandoned in this house, all alone. She wanted to take care of him. "Isn't it the same for me? I want to protect Akaya-San too. So, you can't be hurting yourself like this."

**-x-x-x-**

'_Even though I said that... I wonder if he can really control himself. He does this often; I don't want him to get hurt...'_ Kagome yawned as she made her way to school. Not able to keep her mind off the wildly chaotic male that lived alone beside her, she tried to pull herself together. "Whatever. If he can't control himself, I'll just have to do what I can to keep up with him!" Fisting her determination, Kagome smiled and entered the classroom. Unaware of the wide and surprised eyes that lingered on her retreating form.

**-x-x-x-**

**Me: Here is chapter 5. I hope you all enjoyed it. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think!**


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